Jindo Puppy Market

The island where I live in Korea is famous for a particular breed of dog that is thought to originate here, the Korean Jindo.  Because of their rarity, a “working grade” Jindo runs somewhere between $300-$500, and a “breeding grade” Jindo can cost thousands.  There are no other dogs allowed on the island without proof of sterilization (and in fact, the only three non-Jindos I have seen on the island belong to one of my principals and another foreigner), and people here are fast to report non-Jindos.  The foreign friend who has two of the 3 dogs I know of was reported to the local police within a few days of moving here, so they could check to see that her papers for the dogs were in order.  This is all done to keep the breed “pure”.  The dogs themselves are counted as “Korean National Treasure #53″, and as such, are not allowed to be taken out of the country without express permission of the govt.  That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen (it’s not that hard to claim that a given dog is a mix), but it is still very uncommon.

Due to the national pride in these dogs, people come from all over the peninsula to buy a “Jindo from Jindo”, rather than from a mainland breeder, and so every 5 days, there is a small puppy market near the edge of town.  I love to go and visit the puppies, and last time I took a few photos.  Enjoy.